The Mormon Kingdom
The Mormon Kingdom is an expansionist Theocracy who spreads the Book of Mormon with cannon fire. Their Armada of Airships targets the many small City-states in the West, bringing them under Control of the King, James Smith III. Culture Mormon culture revolves around their religious ideals. Mormon men must serve several years as a "Missionary" a highly trained paratrooper skilled in combat and religious text. The Mormon Kingdom has constantly been at war with its neighbors since it came into existence. Geography and Climate The Mormon Kingdom began in the State of Utah. It spread North, West, and South. It has a very diverse territory, defined by Mountains, Deserts, and great Plains. It experiences cold Mountain winters and Dry Summers. History The Mormon survivors experienced an extreme change in their religious ideals. Modern Mormons strive to expand their Religious jurisdiction and territorial borders. Early Survivor Life Much like in other parts of the Continent survivors clumped together into independent city-states that could vary massively in culture. One especially large and safe city was founded by a very Religious and gung-ho Mormon man, James Smith. He had dreams of one day forming a nation like the fabled Deseret. His government reflected many traditional teachings from the Bible, along with the book of Mormon. His underlings created a grand wall around the City, and impressive defenses. The settlement, named Zion, was built on the Coast of the Great Salt Lake. Survivors from all around the Salt-Lake region flocked to the safety of the Mormon City. In the first few years after the collapse of the United States The population of Zion grew exponentially, from 500 in the first few years of the plague, to nearly 90,000 in 2020. Expansion Era (2015-2022) In 2018 Zion had the largest Population in the region by nearly 5 to 1. Many of the other Cities in the greater Salt Lake also had Mormon majorities, who were gradually absorbed into the greater Zion Nation. Zion had grown to encompass several cities, and a population of roughly 150,000. The New Centralized Nation of Zion wished to expand and spread its ideals and borders, to realize Smith's dream of a Mormon Kingdom. An unconventional vehicle favored by many natives of Zion, the Airship served as an all purpose vehicle. Zion scouts spread across the Wastes in over two dozen airships to make contact with more Cities. All throughout the Old State of Utah Cities willingly joined the fledgling Nation, agreeing to uphold all laws enstated by John Smith. Zion assured safety and religious guidance to all outsiders, an attractive proposition for most. In 2016, The Greater Zion nation swelled to a population of nearly 230,000, and encompassed a vast network of Mormon settlements. From the East another Expansionist society, known only as the Denvierians competed to attract the border cities to their Nation. Border friction erupted into several skirmishes along the Eastern Zion Border. Neither side possessed a designated Military, so hostilities were short, uncontrollable and wild. John Smith brought the idea of an Airship based defense to his advisors, and quickly gained support. All Airships within the Nation were rounded up and armored. Miltiamen crammed into the ships and headed East. The greater mobility of the Airships allowed The Zionese to out maneuver the Denvierians at every step. The fast moving hit and run attacks forced the Denvierians to surrender, ceding all jurisdiction over their Western Holdings. Impressed with the ability of the Airship Armada, Smith ordered the creation of more, larger, armed Zeppelins. Massive Blimps armed with Cannons were created to defend the Nation from outsiders. To improve odds even further, Smith created a uniform training system for infantry, named The ZDF, or Zion defense force. ZDF soldiers were armed with Rifles and longswords forged from scrap metal. They specialized in quick incursions via Airship, they were to land, inflict major casualties then disperse into the sky. More resistant enemies were to be peppered by Cannonfire via the Airship Armada, then infantry sent in to secure the position. James Smith never lived to witness another attack from the outside, he died of infection at the age of 42, leaving the control of the Nation in the Capable hands of his Eldest son, James Smith Jr. John Smith Jr. Shared the dream of a grand Mormon Kingdom, and was willing to achieve it by any means necessary. He instated the Missionaries, a Military Branch designed to conquer territory and then convert the inhabitants. More and more Airships were created until Zion, now larger than the state of Utah, possessed 4 Armadas, each 100 strong. An armada Smith stated, "For each compass direction." Smith commanded his Armadas to expand Southward, absorbing all found settlements. At sight of the Armada, most cities agreed to peacefully be absorbed and convert. Especially independent Cities would be given two chances. If they declined once, they would be lightly bombarded, and if they declined again they would be removed completely. Nearly a dozen towns were wiped off the face of the Earth in the first few years of expansion. Using the same strategies, Zion spread South until they reached a Unified nation called Aztecca Nuevo. Westward until war started with the Pacific Republic, Eastward until they reached the agreed border with the C.S.S, and Northward until they met West Columbia and the Kingdom of Canada. Once they could no longer expand easily, an era of peace was declared, and Zion became The Mormon Kingdom. The Pacific-Zionese war (2021-2022) Once the Zionese armadas reached the Eastern reaches of the Pacific Republic, the frontier was hardly recognizeable as a Nation. The Cities lived much like they did right after the plague, indifferent to everything but their own survival. Once the Zionese began their usual conversion process on one town, however, they were treated as foreign invaders. The Armada saw a surprising amount of casualties, mainly from rocket fire and a few airplanes. As the Armada regrouped they were surprised to see several uniformed soldiers rush into the town. More and more planes, and even a few tanks moved in to fight the Armada. As the Armada bombarded the town with thousands of cannonshells, an organized resistance force fought them every step of the way. When it was clear the town was no longer worth the trouble, the expeditionary Armada retreated back to Port. Zionese scouts traveled West to make contact and discover this mysterious Power, and in a conversation with some locals discovered they had stumbled into the Eastern fringe of the Pacific Republic, a pan-Pacific Democracy. When brought this information along with the losses from the skirmish, Smith was outraged. He feared the Pacific Republic would stand in the way of his goals, and as a result he redirected all of the Armadas to the border, for a four-pronged attack. One Armada was to fight their way to the Coast through Southern California, the second was ordered to ravage Central California, the third targeted Oregon, and the Fourth was headed for Washington. The attack was not meant to absorb cities, it was to instill fear in the Pacificans. The attack succeeded. Unable to counter all four Armadas, the Pacific Republic made contact with the Zionese, looking for a peace settlement. Several Miles of Pacific territory was ceded as to create a DMZ, and to remind the Pacificans of the might of the Zionese. The War for C.S.S Independence (2023-2025) During the War for C.S.S Independence, King Smith was contacted by several representatives from the Rebels. The C.S.S. wanted a small expeditionary force of Airships to attack the Western border of the Survivalist Empire. Originally Smith rejected the offer, hoping to expand into C.S.S territory. Once he heard of the might of the Survivalist Empire, and their alliance with The Kingdom of Canada and The Pacific Republic, Smith joined the side of the C.S.S. to best protect his interests. The Eastern Expeditionary Armada deployed to attack the Survivalist stronghold of Chicago. The Armada bombarded the City for a few days, then landed a medium sized force of Missionaries to clean up what was left. Once on the ground, the Missionaries were slaughtered by the Survivalist mounted Division. The battle of Chicago was one of the biggest Military losses the Mormon Kingdom ever suffered. Nearly 500 Missionaries were killed or MIA. Zion stood on the sideline for the rest of the War. Ascension of James Smith III to Present (2034-2046) After King Smith Jr. died at the age of 34 while leading a military expedition, his son, the third in a long line of James Smiths, ascended to the throne. He had served as a Missionary in the Pacific War, and was a masterful strategist. He aimed to build on the successes of his father and grandfather, growing the territory even further. He ordered the construction of two more Armadas, the North Armada and the South Armada. He also forged a deal to create and train an Armada for the C.S.S. He ordered his new Armadas to push Northward, into West Columbia. When his Armadas couldn't find a single settlement, his Mounted forces charged Northward scanning the forests for Columbian natives. They found several settlements safely tucked away under dense tree coverage. His Mounted division recommended peaceful conversion, causing mass migration, seeing as how the West Columbians lived in poverty along their Southern Border, they might easily be won over. Central Columbian command deployed several Cascadian Rangers to fight the Missionaries, using Guerilla tactics. As the Northern Invasion continued, Smith looked South towards Aztecca Nuevo. The Southern Armada surged South, capturing settlements as it went. The Aztecs fought back whenever possible, they proved to be lethal on the ground, but had very few ways of combating the actual Armada. As the C.S.S stands ready to invade Michigania, the Mormon Kingdom has heavily militarized its borders. Thousands of Missionaries have been conscripted into the New Infantry division. Military forces have moved into the DMZ between The Pacific Republic and The Mormon Kingdom, in violation of the Peace Agreement. The Invasion of West Columbia has continued. Military Though the Mormon Kingdom is defined by its massive Crusader-class Airships, it also possesses the largest Army in the West. Its Missionaries are some of the heartiest and best trained soldiers on the Continent. Armadas The Mormon Kingdom owns Six Armadas: Alpha West, Beta West, Alpha East, Zeta South, Omega South, and North Delta. They have also manufactured several Airships for use by their Allies. Each Armada is made up of 25 Crusader-class Airships, which are Massive heavily armored Zeppelins which carry up to 30 cannons, 45 Frigate-class supports, highly maneuverable gunboats, 15 Aircraft Carriers, arkwardly shaped Airships which launch up to 5 airplanes or 10 Helicopters while in the air, 5 Transports, 9 Wrath-Class Airships, Cruiser ships that specialize in Air-to-Air combat, and 1 command ship, a Heavily armored Airship that can ascend to great heights, commanding the other Airships from above. Army The Mormon Kingdom's Infantry unit, known as the Missionaries, are heavily trained soldiers armed with Salt Lake Rifles, (Bolt Action) Zion Beratos(Handguns), and Longswords. Every man within the Kingdom must serve as a Missionary for a minimum of 3 years. In times of dire need, some ex-missionaries can be called back to service. There are 150,000 active Missionaries, and another 100,000 could be called back to serve if necessary. The Mormon Kingdom also maintains 2 Mounted Divisions, each 2,000 strong. The Mormon Kingdom recently purchased a large amount of Tanks from the C.S.S, making their armored division comprised of 124 tanks.